Most Md. Kindergartners Not School-Ready

Only two out of five Maryland youngsters are fully prepared for
kindergarten, according to a preliminary report presented to the state
legislature and board of education last week.

The report is part of an ambitious effort to train all the state's
kindergarten teachers to assess the readiness of children for formal
education through observing, recording, and evaluating pupils' everyday
classroom activities.

Known as the Work Sampling System, the instrument was created by a
team led by Samuel J. Meisels, a University of Michigan education
professor, to help teachers assess children's skills, knowledge,
behavior, and academic accomplishments. Although the system is used
nationally and internationally to assess students' skills in the early
grades, Maryland is the first state to use it to generate information
on pupil readiness for every district.

"We finally will have information about how many children enter
Maryland schools unprepared, and this sampling will point us to the
areas that need the most overall attention," said Nancy S. Grasmick,
the state superintendent of education.

The report, "Children Entering School Ready To Learn," produced by
the state education department, was requested by the state
legislature's joint committee on children, youth, and families to help
improve services for children from birth to age 5. Lawmakers will use
the study to inform upcoming budget discussions.

"If we could have an impact from zero to 5, so all children came to
school ready to learn, then we wouldn't have to spend hundreds of
millions of dollars on remediation as early as 2nd or 3rd grade," said
Delegate Mark K. Shriver, a Democrat and a co-chairman of the
committee. "The feedback I've gotten is that it was an
eye-opener."

'Enormous Implications'

Gov. Parris N. Glendening, a Democrat, has proposed $19 million for
a new early-childhood initiative designed to help reduce class sizes
and pay for programs in preschool through 3rd grade. But he has not
endorsed the state board's request for full financing for all-day
kindergarten.

"This [report] just proves that we were right on target," said
Reginald L. Dunn, a member of the board. "It is without a doubt one of
the best things we can do."

The report is based on readiness information from more than 1,300
teachers trained to use the sampling system prior to this school year.
About 23,000 kindergartners statewide, or about 30 percent of the
total, were checked in early November.

The study showed that 40.1 percent of the children were fully ready
for kindergarten, that 50.3 percent were "approaching" readiness
shortly after entering kindergarten, and that 9.6 percent were rated as
"developing." Pupils approaching readiness inconsistently demonstrated
skills, behavior, and abilities needed to meet kindergarten
expectations; such children require targeted support, according to the
report. Pupils who were deemed to be still developing require
considerable help in several areas.

"We think there are enormous implications from this report," Ms.
Grasmick told the state school board at its monthly meeting held here
last week.

Starting next school year, all kindergarten teachers in the state
are slated to use the system to compile baseline school-readiness
information for every child, school, and district in the state. Ms.
Grasmick said the information could be used to target federal, state,
and local aid; establish partnerships with early-childhood educators;
and modify curriculum and intervention programs.

Teachers observed and documented their students' learning in seven
categories over the first six weeks of the school year. Based on the
findings, 50.9 percent of the children were rated fully ready in
physical development to enter kindergarten, 48.3 percent in social and
personal development, 43.2 percent in the arts, 34.7 percent in
language and literacy, 34.7 percent in mathematical thinking, 33.8
percent in social studies, and 20.5 percent in scientific thinking.

Girls performed significantly better overall than boys. Children
without disabilities were, in general, better prepared for school than
those with disabilities. And a smaller proportion of children with
limited English proficiency were rated fully ready for kindergarten,
compared with their English-speaking peers.

Vol. 20, Issue 25, Page 5

Published in Print: March 7, 2001, as Most Md. Kindergartners Not School-Ready

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